Vacuum pumps are also commonly used for generating a vacuum, which may be used for a variety of different applications, such as drawing air from a cavity or actuating a device, such as a valve.
Typical vacuum pumps include a rotor mounted to a hub driven by a coupled shaft, which extends away from only one side of the rotor. The rotor includes a slot formed as part of the rotor, and a vane slidably extends through the slot. The rotor and vane are located in a cavity formed as part of a housing such that the rotational axis of the rotor is offset from the center of the housing, and the vane is in sliding contact with the inside surface of the outer wall of the housing. The cavity formed as part of the housing is in fluid communication with an inlet passage and an outlet passage. When the rotor and vane rotate, the vane slides within the slot, creating an enclosed volume in the cavity which expands in size, and an enclosed volume in the cavity which contracts in size. The volume which expands in size creates a vacuum, which is used to perform a variety of functions.
However, the rotor only having the hub extend away from one side of the rotor is vulnerable to “tilting” due to the rotor not being supported on both sides, and “flaring” in which the lobes of the rotor adjacent the vane separate under centrifugal forces as the rotor rotates during operation. Accordingly, there exists a need for a vacuum pump which overcomes these issues.